Buzz Marketing - Advertising, Promotions & Public Relations » discussions

To Network or not to network (in the non-profit World), that is the question!

leslie — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:42:10 +0000

I am currently on the board of directors for a local non-profit called Gabriel’s Angels. Our mission is to deliver healing pet therapy to abused, neglected and at-risk children, nurturing their ability to love and trust, thereby freeing them from the cycle of violence.
Everyone talks about the importance of networking with regard to for-profit companies so I’d like to discuss it from a non-profit perspective.

Networking seems to be the BUZZ word these days. Everybody who’s anybody is doing it! Not sure how many of you have felt this way, but I have. I started networking a couple years ago and was a networking nut. I set up my week around networking events – morning events, lunchtime events and of course, the after work networking mixers. Are networking events worthwhile for non-profits? The answer is a definitive YES!

According to dictionary.com, my literary bible, networking is “a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.” I believe this definition to be partially correct. It is, in fact, sharing with those that have common interests but it is also a wonderful way to educate people, or make them aware of you, your business, your mission and your goals. For a nonprofit organization like Gabriel’s Angels this is critical. We have always stressed at Gabriel’s Angels that people give to people. So the more people that know you and your mission, the more likely YOU are to garner support. This has proven true for Gabriel’s Angels.

Some of the most important relationships we’ve built have been a result of meeting someone at a networking event. Networking has become a platform for us to tell people about our love for animals and children and how that bond between them can facilitate healing for abused, neglected and at-risk children. Networking has allowed us to share this amazing mission with others. Once people hear about what Gabriel’s Angels does for the community they want to help and better yet, once they see our passion, they are eager to become involved, too. By nature, people want to help and if there’s a personal connection that goes along with it, even better!

Our CEO and founder, Pam Gaber attends between 8 and 10 networking events per month. She has met some of our biggest supporters, amazing volunteers, terrific therapy teams and board members through networking. She always says “you never know who you’ll meet in an elevator,” clearly she has no problem meeting people but the networking event makes it easy to get out and share. The success of Gabriel’s Angels is based on the help of others, so what better way to meet them than by networking?!

Gotta run, on my way to a networking mixer………should I represent Buzz Marketing or Gabriel’s Angels? I think I’ll do both!

Search Engines vs. Social Media

leslie — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:04:14 +0000

Google, BING, Yahoo, there certainly are a lot of outlets for searches these days. And, the searches yield thousands upon thousands if not millions of results. But honestly, how do we sift through the results of such a search? If we look at the companies that appear at the top of a search, we know they just paid to have their name appear, but they aren’t necessarily any better than the rest. But, if we look at organic ads, we quickly become overwhelmed. The solution is simple! In comes Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media.

Wouldn’t it make more sense for you to post something on Twitter for example asking for a recommendation or suggestion? Our “friends” on Facebook and our “followers” on Twitter are suppose to be our network, our confidants, our partners in crime. Isn’t that what everything we read these days about social media tells us? We are to have conversations and build relationships rather than sell things so why not ask our cyberspace peeps for their opinion? This is the very thing we’ve been building relationships for and it’s much better than sifting through 1,400,000 search results, that’s for sure.

For example, when I do a search for PR firms in Phoenix, 105,000 results come up. Granted there are a lot of independent practitioners in the Valley and more and more are popping up due to lack of jobs, but come on, 105,000 credible and relevant PR firms? How do I know who to pick if I am looking for a firm? I’m pretty sure much of those are irrelevant fluff and probably not even true PR firms, and it would take me several hours to even scratch the surface in sifting through the results. But imagine if I made a post on Twitter that said, “looking for a good PR firm in Phoenix, any suggestions?” I am willing to bet the list would be loads shorter and the results more relevant and credible and not simply the result of a company with a good search engine expert. The value of world of mouth speaks volumes and it’s much more “real time” than a search since most of us have access to social media on our phones or have TweetDeck open all day at work.

Next time you are looking for a good mechanic, printer, sports bar or of course PR firm, ask the people you communicate with everyday, you’ll be much happier with the results and a lot less panicked at the thought of having to sort through the millions of suggestions by Google.

And yet another reason to engage in social media!

without marketing there is no business

leslie — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:46:58 +0000

Today’s blog is more a frustration than it is an insight, although what I’m about to discuss is apparently news to some. I can’t tell you how many times a week I meet people with new businesses. Although I’m somewhat shocked that people are starting businesses in this economy, I still engage them in a conversation about their plans. They’ve spent thousands and thousands of dollars (if not more) on designing, building and opening their business yet when I ask about their marketing plan, the ever-popular response is they don’t have any money left for marketing. I am just dumbfounded each and every time I hear this response even though I’ve heard it over and over again. I still can’t grasp how a business owner thinks he can survive, or better yet, make a name for him/herself by word of mouth alone? How or why would you open a business if you can’t afford to market it? How will people know you are there? When you open the doors, will people just start flooding in because you decide that today you are open? Is there some magical message that gets tossed out into the universe that takes over our bodies and drags us into your business? I apologize for my sarcasm, but I swear this is how people think….otherwise why else would someone spend so much money in starting/opening a business with no money to market it?

I realize that in our world today, there are a lot more means of self-promotion with the Internet and Social Media but it isn’t enough. Not to mention, most likely the owner of the business is busy enough running the business they don’t have time to do what’s appropriate to effectively “create the BUZZ” about the business nor do they often have the expertise or know how. I would never try to do the accounting for my business or even claim to know what and where to invest my money, this is what accountants and financial planners are for. We all have a niche and all have different skill sets so lets rely on the experts to do what they do and not bog ourselves down in doing so much that nothing is done to perfection.

Marketing is a process, it takes time and many different approaches to be effective. Engaging in only one marketing tactic isn’t enough either. It’s a combination of many different elements that makes a campaign effective. It’s the repetition of seeing/hearing a message that makes someone take action; not one ad, or an occasional tweet but rather a continuous bombardment of a brand or message.

So PLEASE don’t tell me you are opening a business……..but don’t have a budget for marketing, it’s like telling me Matthew McConaughey is going to show up on my doorstep tomorrow and propose to me, it’s JUST NOT POSSIBLE!

is tradtitional PR becoming obsolete

leslie — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:02:02 +0000

This is the burning question to those of us in PR. Some believe traditional PR is going away, I beg to differ. Although social media, bookmarking, blogs and all the other new convenient marketing tools have taken center stage, I find it hard to believe that people will stop watching TV, reading magazines and listening to the radio. Paid advertising may become a thing of the past with the arrival of DVR and satellite radio, or perhaps I should be specific (commercials and print ads) because online advertising is on the rise, people are still and will be watching the news and reading local and national magazines, newspapers, etc. As a matter of fact, people often find comfort and relaxation in sitting down and flipping through a magazine or not having to read the news after a long day of twittering, bookmarking, blogging and the like. Personally by 6 pm, if not before, my eyes become glazed over, my head tilts to the side and I am almost comatose at the thought of having to read another word on my computer screen despite my office being ergonomically correct!

In addition, you may want to consider the demographic you are trying to reach with your marketing efforts. Don’t know about you but my 60 something year old parents are not “following” people on Twitter or becoming “fans” on Facebook. There is definitely a specific demographic engaging in the new media antics of today.

Although the Internet seems to be taking over the world, there will always be a place for making pitches by phone, seeing the results of a segment on TV and experiencing the bold glory of being written up in the newspaper. And no matter how or who you pitch, they still want you to send over details a.k.a the Press Release……so that is not becoming obsolete either! Now, if we can get tv, radio and print exposure along with the conversations online, who wouldn’t want that?! The scope of traditional PR is just being broadened, not becoming obsolete.